See the Milky Way Rising (video)

Once a familiar fixture of the night sky, the Milky Way is now invisible to most of the world’s people. The reason is light pollution from the artificial lights that keep our modern cities and suburbs ablaze at night.

The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, which has arms spiraling off a center piece. The view from earth is of a single arm and is one of nature’s most spectacular sights. If you can get to a park or rural location that still has a dark sky (there are plenty such places in the U.S. — they’re just not where people live), you can easily see it with the naked eye. The trip will be well worth it.

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ABOUT

A green living columnist for environmental organizations in her spare time, Sheryl Eisenberg wrote This Green Life for NRDC from 2004-2014 and previously wrote Greentips for the Union of Concerned Scientists. In her "real" life, she designs websites with her firm Mixit Creative for environmental groups and other non-profits and small businesses.